Sending molts out to be sexed

[SonsofArachne]

Does anybody send their smaller molts out be sexed? At least one dealer I know of does it for free*. I have done it twice because A) my eyes aren't what they used to be; B) I don't have the proper equipment to get a good look at small molts; and C) The dealer I send to is well respected and certainly much more experienced than I am.

Am I committing a T keeper faux pas? Not that I really care that much, I've committed other T keeper faux pas and lived to tell the tail. But what do rest of you say? Am I the only one?

* you do have to pay for stamps and padded envelopes, of course.

 

[lostbrane]

I have heard of this being a thing, although those threads were older. I think with the advent of technology, there are microscopes that get the job done for cheap, and jeweler's loops work well too from what I gather.

Either way, I don't think it's a faux pas. Just comes down to whether you want to pay for postage or the equipment. I'd say it's better than I. Now I don't care so much as to what the sex is until they get to a certain size or just hook out/mature into a male. Except for pokies, since they're super easy to ventral sex.

 

[SonsofArachne]

I have heard of this being a thing, although those threads were older. I think with the advent of technology, there are microscopes that get the job done for cheap, and jeweler's loops work well too from what I gather.

Either way, I don't think it's a faux pas. Just comes down to whether you want to pay for postage or the equipment. I'd say it's better than I. Now I don't care so much as to what the sex is until they get to a certain size or just hook out/mature into a male. Except for pokies, since they're super easy to ventral sex.

The main reason I'm doing it is that I'm looking to down-size my collection a little and I have multiple slings of some species, so I'd like to find out what I have to know what I want to keep and what to sell the rest for.

 

[EulersK]

I receive about one molt per month to be sexed. Takes all of five minutes with the proper equipment. So no, it's fairly common.

 

[Vanessa]

Am I committing a T keeper faux pas? Not that I really care that much, I've committed other T keeper faux pas and lived to tell the tail. But what do rest of you say? Am I the only one?

Before I bought my cheap trusty Amazon endoscope, I sent a few to Amanda at Tarantula Canada for sexing. She sexed my Eupalaestrus campestratus female, my Grammostola actaeon female, and one of my Grammostola pulchra females for free (I sent along a Tim Horton's gift card for her road trips to the expos in appreciation, though). I've never heard of it being a faux pas and can't imagine why anyone would think that. I also used to offer to do it for people who dropped them off to me at the expos.
With the rarer species, it can be time sensitive as well. I wanted mine sexed as quickly as possible because they were rare and I would have bought more immediately if they were male. Luckily, all mine ended up female and I didn't have to.

 

[jrh3]

I sent my last molt out for sexing, i dont own a microscope.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I love to check exuviae only during our unfinished Lombardy Winter nights.

What I do: I reach my fav. armchair.

My equipment: I put a cashmere blanket on my legs, a glass of Sherry nearby, and then, my old good magnifying glass, a la Sherlock

 

[EulersK]

Since we're talking about sexing, may as well post what I use. You don't need a $1k+ microscope to sex, not by a long shot. Here is what I use, and I can reliably sex slings at the 0.5" mark. To be clear, it's not like buying this will make you a master. You need practice and a steady hand. I'd suggest having sharp toothpicks and a thin wire to help unravel molts.

Just search "endoscope microscope" on Amazon and you'll find it.
(posting a picture as to avoid dead links in the future)

 

[jrh3]

Before I bought my cheap trusty Amazon endoscope, I sent a few to Amanda at Tarantula Canada for sexing. She sexed my Eupalaestrus campestratus female, my Grammostola actaeon female, and one of my Grammostola pulchra females for free (I sent along a Tim Horton's gift card for her road trips to the expos in appreciation, though). I've never heard of it being a faux pas and can't imagine why anyone would think that. I also used to offer to do it for people who dropped them off to me at the expos.
With the rarer species, it can be time sensitive as well. I wanted mine sexed as quickly as possible because they were rare and I would have bought more immediately if they were male. Luckily, all mine ended up female and I didn't have to.

What endoscope do you use? Does it magnify enough, or do you just stick the end real close to the molt and focus it in?

I been thinking of getting a microscope but didn't know you could use an endoscope.

 

[jrh3]

Since we're talking about sexing, may as well post what I use. You don't need a $1k+ microscope to sex, not by a long shot. Here is what I use, and I can reliably sex slings at the 0.5" mark. To be clear, it's not like buying this will make you a master. You need practice and a steady hand. I'd suggest having sharp toothpicks and a thin wire to help unravel molts.

(posting a picture as to avoid dead links in the future)
View attachment 305580

Thanks for sharing, Im going to buy one to play around with.

 

[EulersK]

Thanks for sharing, Im going to buy one to play around with.

Heads up, it DRAINS the battery of whatever device you're using. Is uses about 1% per minute of use on my phone and tablet. But they're really fun to play with! It's also great to see tarantula anatomy up close - tarsal claws, fangs, sucking stomachs, eyes, etc.

 

[Vanessa]

What endoscope do you use? Does it magnify enough, or do you just stick the end real close to the molt and focus it in?
I been thinking of getting a microscope but didn't know you could use an endoscope.

It is the same as @EulersK here:

View attachment 305580

They call it a microscope/endoscope/camera, but it is more like an endoscope in my books. It is a great option for the price and for the job I wanted it to do. It is easy to use, takes photos and videos, and it is portable. The only downside is that you can't use it with your iphone, but can with an android device. I use it with my computer, so that didn't matter to me.
This is a sample of a 3/4" Lasiodora parahybana taken with it.


A 3" Psalmopoeus cambridgei.


And a dwarf white isopod sub-adult.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Another reason I don't DIY is time. I'm already spending a lot time on my inverts and it's easier just to ship them out.

 

[EulersK]

It is the same as @EulersK here:

They call it a microscope/endoscope/camera, but it is more like an endoscope in my books. It is a great option for the price and for the job I wanted it to do. It is easy to use, takes photos and videos, and it is portable. The only downside is that you can't use it with your iphone, but can with an android device. I use it with my computer, so that didn't matter to me.
This is a sample of a 3/4" Lasiodora parahybana taken with it.
View attachment 305581

A 3" Psalmopoeus cambridgei.
View attachment 305583

And a dwarf white isopod sub-adult.
View attachment 305582

I've always just eye-sexed my P. cambridgei and have never bothered with the scope. I had no idea their spermatheca were so strange. I just got one of P. scrofa last night that I thought was weird - nothing compared to that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Vanessa]

I've always just eye-sexed my P. cambridgei and have never bothered with the scope. I had no idea their spermatheca were so strange. I just got one of P. scrofa last night that I thought was weird - nothing compared to that. Thanks for sharing.

It was so torn to shreds that all I had to go with was a sliver a few mm's in size. I didn't think I could salvage it at all, but I pulled out the endoscope and just sort of scanned the tiny pieces. That is what I found.
This is what the piece looked like with my macro lens.

 

[Thekla]

It is the same as @EulersK here:

They call it a microscope/endoscope/camera, but it is more like an endoscope in my books. It is a great option for the price and for the job I wanted it to do. It is easy to use, takes photos and videos, and it is portable. The only downside is that you can't use it with your iphone, but can with an android device. I use it with my computer, so that didn't matter to me.
This is a sample of a 3/4" Lasiodora parahybana taken with it.
View attachment 305581

A 3" Psalmopoeus cambridgei.
View attachment 305583

And a dwarf white isopod sub-adult.
View attachment 305582

I use the same microscope. I think it's a great tool.

0.1 N. incei

0.1 N. incei gold

• Thekla
• Apr 8, 2019
• 1
• exuviae female holothele incei holothele vellardi incei molt neoholothele neoholothele incei sexing spermathecae trinidad olive tarantula

Just to be sure... she would be mature now, wouldn't she? Moult is 2 1/2" DLS.

0.1 C. cyaneopubescens

0.1 C. cyaneopubescens

• Thekla
• Apr 14, 2019
• 5
• chromatopelma chromatopelma cyaneopubescens cyaneopubescens exuviae female gbb green bottle blue greenbottle blue tarantula molt moult sexing spermathecae

My girl actually and finally brought me her moult from 2 months ago. *lol*

I don't have so many tarantulas and only get a moult once in a blue moon, so it's fun to sex them myself... and I'm working in a lab where I have to use different microscopes all the time, so it's kinda in my blood.

 

[Teal]

I've never heard of it being a faux pas and can't imagine why anyone would think that.

Agreed! I have heard of sending molts off to be sexed over the years and never a negative comment about it!

I love to check exuviae only during our unfinished Lombardy Winter nights.

What I do: I reach my fav. armchair.

My equipment: I put a cashmere blanket on my legs, a glass of Sherry nearby, and then, my old good magnifying glass, a la Sherlock

I think this is my favourite post from you, and also a good description of a nice romantic evening. If I had a dating profile, I would ask to borrow this to include in it

Another reason I don't DIY is time. I'm already spending a lot time on my inverts and it's easier just to ship them out.

It amuses me what is time consuming to one person. For me, shipping them out would be WAY more time consuming. It takes me all of 5 minutes to sex a molt, as I have all the necessary tools at hand. As I go through my Ts, I pull any molts I find (and can reasonably reach)... if they are big enough to sex, I just pull out my ceramic plate, q tips, tweezers, and jeweler's loupe!

and I'm working in a lab where I have to use different microscopes all the time, so it's kinda in my blood.

Sooo jealous. I want to work in a lab.

And now I am going to have to order an endoscopy, because my adorable little LED lit jeweler's loupe just doesn't compare to the photos in this thread

 

[SonsofArachne]

It amuses me what is time consuming to one person. For me, shipping them out would be WAY more time consuming.

It amuses me too. I have sexed from molts, and maybe because I'm not practiced at it, it takes me way longer than five minutes. Shipping, on the other hand, requires putting the molt in damp paper towel, then in a sandwich bag, then in a envelope. The next time I go to post office I drop it off. A couple of minutes tops. I also think maybe some people (possibly you) enjoy sexing molts. I find it to be a big pain in the butt.

 

[spookyvibes]

Since I'm a college student, a biology major at that, I have free, almsot daily access to microscopes, so that's what I've been using to sex some of my smaller specimens. I actually tried sexing out six of them a few weeks ago with a dissection microscope. From that I got
0.1.0 1" N. incei
0.1.0 .75" N. incei GCF
0.1.0 1.25" H. sp. Columbia (Large)
0.1.0 2" N. chromatus (this one was just for fun)
Probable 1.0.0 1" G. pulchra
and 0.0.1 .5" C. versicolor

I would've taken photos, but alas, my phone's camera did not want to cooperate.

 

[Teal]

I'm going to get an *endoscope not *endoscopy I was just too excited about it all apparently! Lol.

I also think maybe some people (possibly you) enjoy sexing molts. I find it to be a big pain in the but

Oh yes, I very much enjoy it! It is a skill I have put a lot of time into, so I feel quite accomplished when I am successful at it